Sydney siege: Gunman among three dead as gunfight brings an end to Martin Place drama
INCREDIBLE scenes are unfolding close to the scene of the siege at the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. Hundreds of well-wishers have laid floral tributes to Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old mother of three enjoying a coffee with barrister colleagues when Man Haron Monis burst in, and Tori Johnson, 34, a cafe manager.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
INCREDIBLE scenes are unfolding close to the scene of the siege at the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place.
Hundreds of well-wishers have laid floral tributes to lone gunman Man Haron Monis’ two victims, lawyer Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, 34, the cafe’s manager.
Sydney’s terror siege horror ended in tragedy early this morning as police stormed the Martin Place cafe.
Flashes of light and gunshot rang out from the building only moments after six hostages escaped the clutches of armed Islamic hate preacher Monis just after 2am.
Johnson was wrestling a gun from hostage-taker Monis when he was killed.
It is understood the cafe manager decided to take action when the gunman began to doze off after the siege had been ongoing for 17 hours.
He lunged at the hostage-taker’s weapon, allowing others to flee.
Latest details on injured hostages
•A 75 year-old female who received a gunshot wound to the shoulder – stable condition.
•A 52 year-old female who received a gunshot wound to the foot – stable condition.
•A 43 year old female with a gunshot wound to the leg – stable condition
•A 39 year old male who received a minor facial injury due to gunshot – treated at hospital and discharged.
•A 35 year old pregnant female assessed for health and welfare purposes - stable.
•A 30 year old pregnant female assessed for health and welfare purposes – stable
...................................................................................
Ms Dawson, who was admitted to the Bar in 2005, died on the way to hospital after being removed from the café when the siege concluded in a hail of gunfire.
The Telegraph understands she died as a result of cardiac arrest.
She was the sister of high profile defamation barrister Sandy Dawson and daughter of former Arnotts boss Alexander Dawson.
Sandy Dawson was not available for comment this morning but last night told The Telegraph the family was struggling with the circumstances.
The news has left the legal fraternity in shock and NSW Bar Association President Jane Needham SC released a statement on the tragedy.
“Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends at the NSW Bar,” Ms Needham said. “She was a devoted mother of three children, and a valued member of her floor and of our bar community.”
Meanwhile office workers from across the city have converged upon a makeshift memorial site under the MLC centre, which has also been visited by Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione,Premier Mike Baird and Police Minister Stuart Ayres.
Commissioner Scipione stood and looked at the floral tributes laid by members of the public and paused for a moment of silence before leaving. “I don’t think I could be sadder,” he told reporters.
“Having said that I’m incredibly proud of our police and what we’ve done.”
Silma Ihram from the Australian Muslim women’s association also came to pay her respects.
“As Muslims, as Australian Muslims we share the grief and suffering of those who have gone through the ordeal last night, with the families if those who unfortunately have passed away,”Ms Ihram said.
“We hope the Australian community can see that this is not something to do with the Muslim community, it has to do with somebody who is obviously suffering from a mental problem.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Abbott commended the courage and professionalism of NSW police and other emergency services involved.
Cabinet’s national security committee will meet again this morning to review the situation.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two deceased hostages, the wounded and the other hostages,” Mr Abbott said in a statement.
GUNMAN IDENTIFIED AS SELF-STYLED SHEIK MAN HARON MONIS
HOSTAGE MARCIA MIKHAEL’S CHILLING FACEBOOK POST
COMMISSIONER PRAISES POLICE FOR PUTTING LIFE ON LINE
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten also sent his prayers to the hostages and their families.
“We owe our full gratitude to our police and security agencies for their bravery, service and sacrifice,” he said in a statement. “Their skill and professionalism has saved lives.” Mr Shorten said he would continue to work with Mr Abbott to keep Australians safe.
Commissioner Scipione revealed 17 hostages had been accounted for, including the five who escaped yesterday.
He paid tribute to the police officers who had laid their lives on the line to resolve the siege.
He said senior officers had taken the decision to deploy when they did to prevent (more casualties) but he would not speculate any further as a thorough look back was required.
“They’re (the hostages) very brave people who in many cases were just buying a cup of coffee and were caught up in this dreadful affair.
#I’LLRIDEWITHYOU TWITTER SPROUTS ANTI-ISLAMOPHOBIA CAMPAIGN
THE FUSE OF PUBLIC ANGER HAS BEEN LIT AS TERROR COMES TO SYDNEY
PM TONY ABBOTT ANNOUNCES NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE REVIEW
“To the people of Sydney. This was an isolated incident. Do not let this incident bring about any dis-confidence about working.”
Premier Mike Baird:“Our first thoughts and prayers this morning are with the innocent victims of this horrendous … attack.
“Today while we grieve we must go about our normal business
“I say to everyone in NSW today we must come together like never before. We will get through this, we will get through this’.
“The events we have seen have shaken us but will not dampen our resolve.”
The end of the 17-hour Lindt cafe siege came after a day of unprecedented horror in the heart of Sydney’s CBD amid the first extremist attack on NSW soil.
A hostage running up Phillip St towards the corner of Hunter St was the first sign the siege was about to reach a horrific conclusion.
The man was running towards police with his hands up at 2.07am. He lay on the ground when he was approached by two police.
As he ran towards police, ambulance officers were being suited up in bullet-proof vests as they prepared to go in.
Five minutes later, at about 2.11am, there was a volley of gunfire that sounded like fireworks.
A female police came sprinting towards civilians and media gathered on the corner, screaming for them to get to the other side of Hunter St.
She was shouting that there was live ammunition.
At least three stretchers were seen going into the cafe in the next five minutes, with at least one woman laying on a stretcher.
A number of hostages were seriously injured in the drama as it is understood police used stun grenades to raid the cafe this morning. The injured were carried on the shoulders of emergency services personnel to waiting ambulances — the hours of terror they endured and the piercing pain they were experiencing etched on their faces.
They were taken to a number of hospitals around Sydney including Royal Prince Alfred and Royal North Shore. Some wailed in agony as Australia came to grips with the unfathomable sights beamed live around the globe.
Earlier, in a chilling phone call to The Daily Telegraph from inside the cafe, one hostage said the gunman was standing beside her — listening via speaker phone — as she referred to him as “The Brother”
It was revealed overnight that Monis, 49, who was on bail for accessory to murder, had previously sent offensive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers, calling them murderers, and earlier this year was charged with sexual assault.
His former lawyer Manny Conditsis described him as a “damaged goods individual” with an ideology that clouds his common sense. “This is a one-off random individual,” Mr Conditsis said.
“It’s not a concerted terrorism event or act. It’s a damaged goods individual who’s done something outrageous.”
Monis, who arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1996, has been charged with being an accessory before and after the fact to the murder of his ex-wife. His current partner was charged with murder. The couple was given bail in Penrith Local Court, with Magistrate Darryl Pearce saying the Crown’s case was weak. In March this year Monis was charged with sexual and indecent assault.
Religious community leader Dr Jamal Rifi has sought to distance the gunman from the Muslim community, descibing him as a crazed lone wold.
“My community wouldn’t feel vulnerable about how the siege has ended,” he told Sky News.
“We are very upset it has not ended up peacefully...It would impact on all of us in our society because we feel for those who died.”
How it all unfolded
Armed with a shotgun and a flag linked to extremist groups, Monis had burst into the cafe yesterday morning. The hostages were used as human shields, forced to stand at the window and hold the Islamic flag bearing the words: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger”.
The ordeal began around 10am on Monday when Monis entered the Lindt cafe and reportedly withdrew a shotgun from a blue bag.
Throughout the day hostages were seen pressed against the windows of the Lindt cafe, captured first by the Seven Network from their Martin Place studio directly opposite the location.
Some were forced to contact news outlets and use social media to relay the gunman’s demands.
At one stage a woman was used as a human shield as the gunman moved around inside the cafe.
Hostages were forced to hold an Islamic flag against the windows in turn.
Five hostages managed to escape yesterday, running from the back service door of the cafe into the arms of heavily armed police officers outside.
As the siege exploded in Sydney’s Lindt Cafe, the world watched.
In the United States, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC and other 24-hour news channels had already dedicated most of their Monday morning programming to coverage of the emergency.
When the situation climaxed with hostages fleeing and heavily armed authorities storming the cafe in Sydney’s central business district, people around the world watched live.
Sydney today
Martin Place has remained closed.
An exclusion zone continues to operate around Martin Place bordered by Elizabeth Street, St James Road, Macquarie Street and Hunter Street.
People who work in this zone are being asked to work from home. But everyone else is being encouraged to go about their business as normal.
Martin Place station will remain closed, while some buses will be diverted around the exclusion zone but will continue to run through the CBD.
The State Library will be closed until further notice.
How a wet summer led us to disaster
Record flooding across the mid-north coast that claimed the lives of three people and destroyed countless homes was partially caused by an unusually wet summer.
Three dead, one missing as flood crisis heads south
Three people are confirmed dead, and another is missing as northern NSW continues to be battered by heavy rain and flooding. See the latest in our live blog.